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Curious how air travel felt in 1929? Give it a test flight today at Fitchburg Airport (VIDEO)

By Michael Hartwell, mhartwell@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
06/25/2013 08:48:25 AM EDT

FITCHBURG -- Passengers whooped and cheered when the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor airplane came to a stop Monday afternoon, fresh from a sightseeing tour that lets modern passengers experience the thrills of the golden age of aviation.

The historic airplane is making figure eights in the sky over Fitchburg and Leominster today, giving 10 paying passengers at a time a chance to experience what aviation was like before climate-controlled cabins, tray tables and in-flight catalogs.

"The sound is a lot louder," shouted passenger Ray Crouse as his 20-minute flight touched down on the runway at Fitchburg Municipal Airport on Monday afternoon.

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / BRETT CRAWFORD
Fitchburg from the air, as seen from one of the engines of the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor on Monday.

The thin aluminum walls fail to dampen the roar of the three engines, one located in the nose and another on each wing, and Crouse had to shout to be heard.

Crouse, 64, of Shrewsbury, came with his father and four brothers, all lifelong airplane enthusiasts and pilots. During the flight, passengers snapped photos and took short amateur videos from their seats.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Crouse said.

The plane had to make sharp banks to stay within the area, and Crouse said the only bumps in the journey were from turbulence caused by the summer heat.

The trim around the windows is wooden, and each window has a plastic vent in the center that could be opened by hand.

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"Back then, that was the only breeze you got," said passenger George Clem, 67, of Leominster.

An aviation and airplane-crew chief in the Marines during the Vietnam era, Clem said he was interested in taking the flight Monday because the C117 and C47 military passenger vehicles he worked with were forerunners of the Tri-Motor.

Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong attended the first flight Monday.

"Flying aboard the Ford was really wonderful, and I am happy that Fitchburg Airport can host this event," she said.

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / BRETT CRAWFORD
Pilot Rand Siegfried of Palo Alto, Calif., looks out the window while bringing the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor airliner around to land at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport on Monday.

The plane is on a national tour through the Experimental Aircraft Association, which provided the pilot and co-pilot.

Matt Scales, president of the Fitchburg Pilots Association, said money raised from ticket sales will support both the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Fitchburg Pilots Association.

Scales said when the five-ton airplane was built, most air travel was for mail. Passengers had to find a spot on a mail plane, and if they went over the weight limit, passengers got bumped before mail did.

Ford built 299 5AT Tri-Motors as luxury passenger planes, and the one in Fitchburg is one of the last six still in operation.

The Tri-Motor has a top speed of around 150 mph, but Scales said that speed will drain the fuel tank too fast.

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